Seto nodded in agreement before saying they should leave. "I still have homework to do..." Joey sighed as he and his boyfriend walked out of the classroom with Seto locking it behind him. He didn't appreciate his students sneaking in when he wasn't there just to steal something from his desk. They were becoming too obsessed with him.

Stretching his arms before stepping outside just to shield his eyes from the harsh sun, the blond whispered, "You better get going if you want to pick up Mokuba on time and I need to get started on my stupid homework if I want to see ya guys tonight." Seto nodded, leaving Joey standing there to watch him go. 'He has such a nice ass...' How could the blond stop staring at it when it belonged to his boyfriend? Well, someone turning him from that beautiful sight was a perfect answer. Blinking, he found himself staring into dark brown eyes belonging to someone with tamed white hair. "Ryou?" He looked so sad. Had someone been bullying him again? "Hey, is everythin' okay, buddy?"

"No. Everything's not okay. I just need to talk to someone right now is all." Ryou whispered with tears running down his pale cheeks. Joey ushered the boy to follow him back to Mai's, wondering why he didn't talk to his brother about what was wrong. It was silent for the next ten minutes or so until they approached the purple house. "You live here?" It sounded as if his friend tried to laugh but he couldn't. Joey quietly replied with 'no' and explained how he was only staying for a little before he could move in with Seto. "I see." Joey wasn't sure if Mai was home, so he just shut the door behind him and headed up to his temporary room.

"Did Tristan bully you again? Because if he did, I promise to try harder." Joey earned a weak grin before gaining a vocal response. As they sat there on his bed, the blond could feel how depressed his little friend was. "I can't help you if you don't speak up, Ryou. I'm here for you."

Ryou trembled as he fought with his words. "Do you remember when my brother showed up asking if you were bothering me?" he continued on after Joey's silent 'yes'. "I don't blame him for being so protective. If someone mistook him as me, he'd act just like me and get bullied. But when the bullies were done, he'd beat them and tell them to leave him, well me, alone. And they would. However, the bullying doesn't bother me a lot. Yeah, they've punched me a few times but it's mostly just words, so I don't care."

Joey was lost. "Then what's bothering you so much?"

"Over the past few years, I've been in love with him." The white - haired teen stopped, seeing his friend's reaction. "You heard right. I'm in love with my own brother." "That's why you're so upset? Because you're in love with Bakura? Which is disgusting by the way, but I guess you can't help who you love." Ignoring that last bit of truth from Joey, Ryou said, "No. He already knows how I feel about him. I told him two years ago and he seemed fine with it. It's the fact that he's been using me the whole time."

"Using you?" Joey whispered, hoping to keep their conversation quiet in case Mai was eavesdropping. "Using you as in... sex?" When Ryou nodded, his stomach churned in disgust. "Why would you let him do that to you?"

"Bakura told me countless times that he was in love with me too. But when I went to fetch him after school, I saw a girl hanging all over him and kissing him and he was kissing back!" "What!?" Joey immediately pulled the boy close to his chest, letting him sob as much as he wanted. "I'm going to kill him when I see him!" Why would Bakura do such a thing? How could he hurt his own brother's feelings without having a care in the world? Feeling his friend pull away, he asked softly if he was feeling any better?

Wiping away the remaining tears, Ryou hiccuped a small 'I'll be fine. Thank you, Joey.' The blond went on to smile before looking at his clock. Almost 4:30. "I know you probably don't want to, but it's time to go home. I'll even walk you. I'm sure your mum and dad are getting worried." He wasn't trying to put his needs before his friend. He was sure his friend's parents were worried.

"You still have your homework to do, Joey." Ryou stood, stretching his arms and legs before looking at the blond with a smile. "I know my way home from here. I used to run around a lot when I was younger. I won't get in to detail but I will say that it was fun always seeing Bakura wiped out. Anyway, as you said before, it's time to go home. I still have my work to do as well!" The white - haired teen laughed happily while Joey sat in mild confusion.

After Joey had seen the boy out the door, he made his way back upstairs slowly. 'That isn't what I expected.' He unzipped his bag and dumped its contents onto the bed. "I won't be able to focus much tonight at dinner..." his eyes landed on a folded piece of paper. "Eh? What's this?" Unfolding it, he realized quickly it was a phone number. But not just anyone's phone number. It was Seto's. "Yes!" he punched the air with a large grin before whipping out his phone. He was extremely glad he got the number but his conversation with Ryou still weighed heavily on his heart.

Joey: Hi it's Joey

It took a few minutes of just staring at the device in his hand to get a reply.

Seto: I see you found my number, puppy.

Joey's face flushed red at the nickname before a new message drew his attention.

Seto: I'm going to have to cancel dinner tonight. I'm sorry.

Joey: I was actually going to tell you I wouldn't be able to make it. Something came up after you left and it's really bothering me ever since my buddy left. I can't tell you what it is though. I have to respect his privacy.

Seto: Understandable. I have to grade so many papers by tomorrow morning I won't have enough time for a meal.

Joey cringed at the thought of not being able to eat something filling.

Joey: At least take a few breaks and eat some snacks. I don't want to have to see ya sleeping at your desk tomorrow.

After receiving a thumbs up emoji, he threw his phone on the bed and went through his scattered things, searching for his homework.


Yes. I did that. I added Ryou x Bakura lol.... Just wait for next chapter though! Just wait until you find out everyone's reaction!